The Fool's Moon
by misokuma
Summary: [AU] After being involved in a car crash which eventually took her parents' life, Minako Arisato is sent to her grandparents at Port Island to undergo therapy. There she meets a strange boy who helps piece her life back together one by one.
1. Chapter 1

Minako Arisato is unafraid to die.

_This is it. I'm finally going to do it._

Just a couple of weeks ago, Minako had a family. She had a mother and a father who loved her with every cell of their being. They lived in the suburbs and had a beautiful house they called home. It was almost all too perfect. Her parents were both executives of their respective companies. She studied at an elite high school with good grades and all those who gazed upon her smile felt happy at the mere sight of her expression. Life was beautiful and nothing else seemed to matter. Everything changed in the blink of a second when a drunk driver fell asleep on the highway on that cold and rainy evening. It was almost too unreal. Too sudden. Too unexpected. Did it even happen? She was unsure. All she remembered was her face lying on that cold asphalt road. Pieces of glass surrounded her weak body. A sticky fluid dripped down the temples of her head.

Minako knew that Port Island will be her last stop in the train of life. Despair had flooded her veins. Her once clear and bright eyes were now clouded by pain. After the accident, her grandparents did not hesitate in taking her in. Truly enough, the girl was grateful. She loved them both so much. But deep down, she couldn't bear to live a life without the people she loved by her side. For days, she planned out how to execute her death. Sleeping pill overdose? Gunshot to the head? A slit to the neck? There were plenty of options. However, one specific way appealed to her badly. It was to fall.

If she didn't die from the impact of it all, she decided to surrender her body to the torrent and drown.

The full moon shone brightly at the bridge. The river, so clean and pristine, illuminated the sky. From a distance, a bell signaling the 12:00 AM has rung. It was time for her to leave her life behind.

"Mother, Father, I will join you soon."

Minako took a step closer to the edge.

Another.

And another.

_Be brave, Minako. There is nothing left for you here._

The brown-haired girl closed her eyes and prayed for God's forgiveness inside her heart.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

The voice came from someone who would forever change her life.


	2. Chapter 2

Shinjiro Aragaki lived a quiet life.

The man, an apprentice at a prestigious local restaurant, was not one for drama. In fact, he hated it and avoided anything that even resembled a conflict at all cost. When he was just a baby, Shinjiro was left an orphanage with no parental support. All he had was himself. He knew that in this world, you cannot ever rely on someone else but yourself. This made him a quiet and scheming person. He avoided all attachments, worked hard and kept hidden all his emotions. Seeing other people holding hands, caring for one another, loving and kissing made him uncomfortable. Every so often, he would see lovers approach another and was disgusted at how vulnerable they were to each other. The man hated it.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he yelled out towards the unassuming girl with Auburn hair and red eyes. "Are you fucking stupid?! Get down from there! Do you want me to call the cops on you?!"

Today was Sukiyaki night. Or at least it was. Earlier, it was a cool Friday evening and while everyone else would be out together getting drunk, Shinjiro decided it would be best to spend the evening watching movies and resting. His hands were bruised and tired from all the prepping and cooking for the week. Also, it was his day off. That was not the case for today, however, as he was called in out of the blue to help cook for the patrons of their restaurant. For some reason, the management had overbooked over 50 other guests. It was a disaster.

_Christ. Why do I have to deal with this now?! I'm fucking tired for God's sake._

The man dropped his groceries from the convenience store and quickly rushed over to the girl. Her long limbs were illuminated by the moonlight. "Hey, you! Hey, stupid! I know you think this is funny but-"

"Just leave me alone." The girl's voice sent chills down his spine. It was haunting but beautiful at the same time. "Please. I... I need to do this for myself. This does not concern you. Leave me be."

Shiniro sighed. He did not deserve to go through this at all. At the same time, he could not just let her be. "No!" Immediately, he grabbed onto her elbows and yanked her down with as much force as possible. In situations like this, you must act quickly or risk losing a life. He knows. He's been there after all. "I don't know who you are but I'd be damned if I let this go! The reason why you're alive is because you have a place here. Don't even dare squandering it because **I will not let you**."

"E-eek!"

As the girl falls down from the rails, Shinjiro raises his arms and catches her with all his remaining strength. The impact causes the two of them to plop on the ground. In that moment, their eyes meet. The first thing he notices is how beautiful she is, how her cat-eye like eyes resembled that of a tiger. This person, he instantly thought, was no ordinary girl. "Oof!"

"Why couldn't you just leave me alone?!" her voice pierced against the wind. It even shook the man awake to his highest senses. All he know for sure was there is this girl who is right there in his arms. She looked fragile with her pristine features, her hair tied up in a ponytail with silver barrettes on one side of her head. Her skin felt soft as silk. What was wrong with this girl? He thought of the many reasons that one such as this woman would ever consider suicide. Could she have been left by her boyfriend? Did she commit a heinous murder or crime? Did she own a loanshark a lot of money? What? Because it was impossible. The girl was beautiful, well-clothed and she didn't seem to show any signs of abuse. Was it possible that she just wanted to take her own life for the sake of it? "I have nothing left!" she cried out. Tears poured from the corners of her eyes. The girl looked innocent in every possible way. "I just don't want to live!" she said one last time before burying her head onto the man's chest. She felt warm. It was the first time Shinjiro was ever this close to a girl before. But he felt a strong connection towards her. Instinctively, he pulled her closer to his body. The girl cried for hours and the two stayed by the bridge for a long time.

_I won't let you die._

Shinjiro hated drama. But he figured he would it slide this time.

* * *

**(A/N: Haven't written in this while because of school! I'll try to update as often as I can. I haven't gotten the story all planned out but I'm doing my best. I like writing dramatic stories such as this. The succeeding chapters will always have that element because they're just so fun for me to write. Please tell me what you think, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!)**


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